Where: Place the code in between the Writer, Mother and Reviewer: August 2012

Thursday 16 August 2012

Here we go again!!

Well the day ended on a bad note yesterday and it's started this morning ten times worse.  I had a terrible nights sleep,I've had a major falling out with someone and the headache is worse then ever.

 After laying awake with all sorts of rubbish going round and round my mind I finally managed to drop off, only to be woken by Charlie 3 times, wanting to get in my bed and Faye having bad dreams at 4am.  Do you ever get those nights where no matter how much you try you just can't shut your thoughts off? 

Both kids woke up at 7 and as soon as they have opened their eyes they have continued to fight and argue over anything and everything.  Charlie is being his usual demanding and whingy self and my patience is currently being stretched to the limit. 

On a better note the kids are going to their dads tonight so I will have a few hours of much needed me time and tomorrow I am going to see my pal Linz. We have months worth of gossip to catch up on and I am so looking forward to it.   







Wednesday 15 August 2012

Speaking a foreign language

Am I the only parent in the world that seems to speak to their child in a foreign language?  Why is it  they totally ignore you and just carry on what they are doing, despite being told on numerous occasions not to.  Take tonight, I have a headache of epic proportions.  It's been lingering on and off for most of the week and tonight it's back with a vengeance. 

Typically the kids are running riot and screaming at the top of their voices.
"Kids please, just calm down a bit," I said, nicely.  Do they listen? nope.  The screaming intensifies and they start acting even sillier.
"Kids. Enough!" I say firmly. It went in one ear and out of the other. 

Ten minutes later they have taken not a blind bit of notice of anything I have said.  The noise levels have increased tenfold and my patience is swiftly running out.
"If I have to tell you one more time," I shout at them, "that's it you are going to bed, and I mean it."
Did they listen? Not a chance.  Are they now in bed? Most definitely.

"Awww mum, I'll be good now, I promise, promise, promise" came their pleas.  Sorry kids it's too little to late.  I could say, maybe this way they will learn that I do actually mean what I say but I doubt it as the cycle will no doubt continue.

On a positive note it's the earliest they have been in bed for weeks and I for once have a full evening all to myself to relax and enjoy.  Hopefully!

Monday 13 August 2012

Meany Mummy

I was faced with a tough decision today.  Most of the kids that live down our street mostly play in my garden.  Today however, they didn't want to come in, being older then my kids they wanted to play  out in the street.

The thing is my two were gazing through the fence and begging them to come and play with them.  I felt so mean not allowing them to go out and play with the other kids.  What age is it acceptable to allow children to roam free?  I have to admit, that on occasions, I have allowed Faye (almost 7) to play out but I just don't feel Charlie (3 and a half) is old enough yet.

My main concern down the street is the traffic.  We don't live on a particularly busy street however we are a corner house and the cars do tend to go around the corner into our close rather quickly and I can't help envisioning what, is without a doubt, one day going to happen.  I don't want it to be one of mine that gets run over.

I was obviously called numerous names, "your such a meany mummy" came Fayes shout.  maybe, I am.  How do you explain that you are only trying to keep them safe, when I feel mean and like I am keeping them caged up.  I just can't relax with them running around outside.. 

Thinking back to my childhood I was never in.  During the school holidays I would be playing out from morning till night.  There was half a dozen kids down the street and we were all the same age and spent hours on roller skates, bikes and making up games.  The children of today just aren't allowed the same levels of freedom that we enjoyed.

There is a small park just across from my mum's house and in theory my kids should be allowed to cross the road and play safely in the park, away from the traffic.  However, last summer a van was spotted parked up outside the park with 2 men taking photographs of the children.  Needless to say I can't even let them in the park unsupervised.

It was maybe innocent, very doubtful and they haven't been seen since but there will always be this worry in the back if my mind and I'm just frightened to let them out of my sight.  All I can say is that it is a sad society that we now live in.

Saturday 11 August 2012

Drama Queen

Charlie is turning into a right little drama queen at the minute.  He has acquired this affliction with his leg, in particular his ankle.  It's funny but every time he is told to do something or is told off for something, this poorly ankle suddenly appears out of nowhere.  He flings himself around screaming, "my ankle, my ankle, ow, ow, ow, I've twisted my ankle." hmmm I am not impressed.

Take the other day, despite the fact that he is almost four he refuses to wipe his bum or blow his nose.  He is more than capable of carrying out both tasks, quite adequately, on his own.  He can get his own clothes out in a morning and dress himself.  OK, the clothes don't always co-ordinate and have to be subtly changed and they are more than likely to be on back to front, inside out or even upside down but at least he is trying. When it comes to the hygiene matters, well he is a nightmare.

He had been to the loo and was screaming at the top of his voice, "mummy, I've finished." I went to find him and told him to wipe his bum and pull up his pants, which he point blank refused to do.  15 minutes later he is laid on the bathroom floor with his pants round his ankles, screaming "ow, ow, ow, my ankle." It would have been so easy just to give in, carry out the task and have done, but what happens next time and the time after that? I stuck it out and after half an hour he realised that it was getting him nowhere.  Where upon he sorted himself out, pulled up his pants and came running out to play like nothing had happened.  Result!

Ten minutes later we had to go through the whole rigmarole again when his snotty nose was running.  Once again he couldn't blow it because of his 'ankle'.  Why having a bad ankle effects him using his arms is beyond me. 

He got the message again and eventually, he very begrudgingly wiped his nose, whilst glaring me and angrily stormed off, throwing his tissue on the floor.  I was treated to a rather loud growl and a very evil look when he was told to pick the tissue up and put it in the bin.  He stomped through the house and promptly threw it away.   By that time the snot was back and we had to start all over again.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Maybe!

Why something as simple as the kids being on school holiday causes so much chaos to my daily routines is beyond me.  Take this morning, I don't start work until 12 and usually on a school day, I am up early, super organised and I manage to get a million and one jobs done before work.  This morning, the kids slept in until 8, and as I am kind of partial to a little lie in myself, having been deprived any sleep past 6.30 am for the past 3 and half years, it's a novelty to wake up at 6.30 and just lay there snuggled under the duvet.

It then takes me from 8.15 to 11.00 just to sort one load of washing, wash the pots, bath the kids and get showered and dressed for work.  How on earth did it manage to take 3 hours, when I can normally achieve that and more in 45 minutes.  The ironic thing was I was still running late and shouting at the kids to hurry up and get their shoes on, while they just sat in a daze staring at the TV.

My night has not got any better. The kids have been hyper, running round like a pair of loonies and my head is pounding again.  I love spending time with the kids but phew is it hard work at times.

I have to admit that at the minute though everything other aspect of my life is pretty good.  There maybe a few changes on the cards.  I'm not going to say to much at the minute but maybe things just might / probably /  maybe be about to get a whole lot better.

Monday 6 August 2012

Heartbreak closely averted.

Charlie was almost heartbroken when we feared we had lost forever his beloved Sunny Bear.  Sunny Bear is the main character bear at Sundown Adventure Lane near Retford.  Ever since Charlie's first trip when we acquired a little Sunny Bear they have been best friends. Here's Charlie with the real Sunny Bear taken just a couple of weeks ago.


 Where ever Charlie goes, Sunny Bear is never far away.  He's been to playschool, he's been on day's out, he's stayed in numerous caravans, been on a aeroplane, goes to stay at daddies alternate weekends and most importantly sleeps in Charlie's bed every single night.  Apart from last night!

Knowing that Sunny Bear couldn't possible be to far away.  He had him recently and on the day he was lost we didn't leave the house.  After turning the house upside down, looking in all the obvious and clearly barmy hiding places, I drew a blank.  After a serious interrogation as to when Sunny Bear was last seen, it transpired that Sunny Bear had been having a bounce on the trampoline with Charlie and things had gotten little rough, as they have a tendency to do and resulted in Sunny Bear being propelled into next doors garden.

Not usually a problem, it's a case of knock of the door and ask for the bear.  However, next door are not in and to make matters worse they are currently in the process of constructing am extension and  their garden currently resembles a building site.

Not to be deterred I had a quick search from my side of the fence hoping to locate Sunny Bear in the rather large bushes that separate the gardens.  Unfortunately he wasn't there.  Then I happened to spot him right at the back of their shed.  It was going to be mission, almost, impossible. Blocking the way to Sunny Bear from very direction was a huge amount of various building materials.  This was not going to easy an easy task

Resourceful as ever I managed to poke a rather long bamboo garden cane through the fence and wiggled Sunny Bear towards me.  Then much to Charlies horror I grabbed Sunny Bear by the ear with a rather large pair of kitchen scissors. 
" Don't hurt him, mummy, oh please don't cut his ear off, please, please, please" came his cries.
"I won't hurt him," I replied, through gritted teeth.
I managed to pull Sunny Bear close enough to the fence until I could get my fingers through the gap and grab him.  The bright idea was simply to then pull him though the gap in the fence.  Simple!.  Erm no. His head popped through no problem followed by two arms and a leg, before his bum got stuck and I mean stuck.

"You need to go on a diet, Sunny Bear" I said, whilst Cahrlie laughed and shouted "You can do it, Sunny Bear." Disaster then struck as whilst jiggling and prodding and tugging Sunny Bear, there came an awful riiiippppp.  I had almost pulled his arm off.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh" shouted Charlie, "You've hurt him, mummy, you've hurt him!" to make matters worse   a second, thankfully smaller, rip was heard as his dungaree's also got caught. 


"shit, shit, shit, shit, shit" I muttered under my breath.  Back to the drawing board.  There was no way that Sunny Bear was coming back home that way.  So he was squeezed back through the fence and plopped to the floor.  This time his good arm was firmly grasped in the scissors and I managed to manoeuvre him up to the top of the fence, where I managed to stand on a chair, grab his head and pulled him back through the bushes.  It was a very tired, dirty and sorry looking Sunny Bear that came home. 




"Yeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh" shouted Charlie, grabbing Sunny Bear off me.  He got the biggest hug and kiss of his life.  The good news is with a needle and cotton he is repaired, yet again and looking almost as good as new.  It's a happy little Sunny Bear and Charlie that are snuggled up in bed tonight.  What they don't know is that tomorrow, Sunny Bear is going on another adventure into the washing machine to get cleaned up.  Neither of them will be happy at that.

Sunday 5 August 2012

Good old British Seaside!

Being lucky enough to live a half hour drive to the coast I decided this afternoon to make the most of the Sunshine and head for the beach.  It didn't take long to pack a bag with swimsuits, towels, a few snacks and drinks and we were on our way.

Only to be met on arrival by grey skies and a biting wind.  It was absolutely freezing.  Not to be deterred we put on jackets, well, the kids did, I had left mine at home, and headed off down Bridlington promenade.  The wind whipping round our ankles, I'm not sure whether to laugh or admire the few hardcore family's who had set up camps on the beach, with their multi-coloured wind breaks and beach tents, there was even a gazebo on there which looked about to blow away at any second.  Each family looked miserable as sin, sat huddled together wearing jackets and wrapped in blankets and beach towels.  I'm not sure that is my idea of fun.

There is a little paddling pool on the front and on a nice day it's a great place for the kids to play.  There were a a handful of children still splashing around, although I did note that they looked almost blue with the cold and a good majority sat shivering once again wrapped in blankets and towels.

In good old British seaside tradition we had a walk around to the harbour and to cheer ourselves up bought a large bag of hot, sugary doughnuts.  Within seconds of opening the bags and handing out the doughnuts we were surrounded by numerous very large seagulls.  Swooping and squawking at us very loudly.  Charlie was not impressed and gripped his doughnut very tightly while shouting "Shooo, seagulls, get lost" Needless to say, they took not a blind bit of notice and got even more aggressive.  We were soon out of there and walking back to the car.

Halfway back I had to laugh as I noticed that one seagull had aimed rather well at nanna and left her a rather horrible present all down the back of her trousers.  It certainly gave us the biggest laugh of the day.  Nanna was not impressed and tutted and cursed as she stood trying to clean it up the best she could with my emergency supply of baby wipes. Still, you know what they say, it's good luck so she had better make sure she plays the lottery this week.  We can all live in hope!

Friday 3 August 2012

Sale Bargains, Headlice and General Mayhem

This week has been absolutely chaotic.  I just don't have a clue where the days have gone.  It's the first time in a week that I've had the chance to switch the laptop on actually sit down to write.  So here goes ...

Faye decided that she, very kindly, was going to bring home a case of the nits.  I cannot believe that all the time she spends at school surrounded by kids and not once have we been infested.  The school holidays appear and she has hardly been in contact with other children and hey presto, she catches them from somewhere.  It's a bit of a mystery but I do have my suspicions but that's another story.  Luckily, I had a Bug Buster Kit just waiting to be used and I spent over an hour de-lousing and endlessly combing hair.  Fingers crossed, we are now bug free. 

Needless to say once that was done my house felt filthy.  There was only one way to combat that and that was to clean and clean and clean.  I was like a woman possessed.  The beds were changed, every room, surface and corner was scrubbed and bleached to within an inch of it's life.  A little bit over the top, most probably, but I don't care. It made me feel so much better.  Just the thought of the nasty little critters makes my skin crawl and even as I write this I can feel myself start to itch. (Get a grip, Jayne) 

I than spent over an hour crawling around in the loft, in the stifling heat trying to locate all my old baby equipment.  Typically, it was right at the back and mountains of junk had been piled in front of it.  Eventually, I managed to dig the majority out and I have now passed it all onto the ex.  That's the highchair, baby walker, buggies all gone.  I even found it within myself to donate my pram and I loved that pram.  It was a big decision and I have agonised over whether or not to just hold onto it but no sentimentality is not a reason to hold onto something as large as that. It was with a tear in my eye that the pram was relinquished.

Moving onto a brighter note I have been holiday shopping today and came home laden down with bargains.  Unfortunately, they kids fared rather better than me, but I don't really mind. I'm not sure my wardrobe could actually handle anymore clothes at the moment.  I definitely need a sort out but all in good time.   I will be going on holiday with the two trendiest, best dressed kids and I don't think I paid move than a fiver for any one item.  That's what I call bargains.  I did get a bit carried away, as I have a tendency to do, and bought far more than they actually needed but, oh well!

I also managed to get Faye's school uniform all done and sorted for September.  It's a little earlier than I normally buy it but this year I wanted to be organised and I got everything I needed in one shopping session, which is pretty good going.

On that note I have so much more to tell but think this post is long enough so might have to save the rest for a later date.